Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2009 21:02:02 GMT -5
This Zorki1C in what appears to be almost mint condition arrived today from a Canadian friend. He also sent me the 135mm lens that fits it and the Soviet copy of the German turret finder. The Zorki1c is my favorite Soviet rangefinder. This one was built in 1953 which explains the quality construction. Stalin was still alive in the early part of that year and you could get in a lot of trouble (or dead) for doing shoddy work under Stalin. I really do believe the workmanship on these cameras went down after Stalin's death. Wayne  |
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Mar 7, 2009 8:43:07 GMT -5
Nice looking Zorki, Wayne.
I've got the later Zorki C, 1956, with the taller top plate. A lot of people don't like the look of of it, 'beaten with an ugly stick' and so on, and I'll agree it isn't so pleasing in looks as the earlier model. But what's more important as far as I'm concerned is that it's reliable, it works reasonably smoothly and the Industar lens takes very good pictures.
Possibly the Jupiters on a Zorki 4 and a 4K I've got are better lenses, and the cameras are also nice to use. My big beef about them is that because of penny-pinching neither has an engraved speed dial, and the printed figures on one of them are rubbed which sometimes makes it difficult to decide what speed is selected. One day I might look into making a paper dial to fit and varnishing it.
PeterW
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2009 12:29:59 GMT -5
Peter. The earlier Zorki 4s had engraved dials. I have a 1956 model (first year) and it's engraved. I think they started painting them in the early to mid '60s. There was a time period when some coming off the assembly line were engraved and some weren't.
I've taken the body shells from junker Zorki 2Cs and driopped the Z1 guts in them. Then you have a Zorki 1 with strap lugs!. The 1956 Z4 also has strap lugs--later ones didn't--again, I'm sure, because of cost. The Zorki 3C and earlier Zorki 4s are virtually identical except the 3C doesn't have a self timer.
Wayne
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sl
Contributing Member
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Post by sl on Mar 7, 2009 22:29:51 GMT -5
The Zorki1c is my favorite Soviet rangefinder. This one was built in 1953 which explains the quality construction. Stalin was still alive in the early part of that year and you could get in a lot of trouble (or dead) for doing shoddy work under Stalin. I really do believe the workmanship on these cameras went down after Stalin's death. I don't know if it had that much to do with Stalin's death. Probably Khrushchev's premiership was more important. He wanted to improve the standard of living of Soviet citizens by making more inexpensive consumer goods for the masses. More goods meant lower quality control and simplification of production. This led to slow slide towards worse quality, which continued even after Khrushchev's era. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2009 0:12:46 GMT -5
The Zorki1c is my favorite Soviet rangefinder. This one was built in 1953 which explains the quality construction. Stalin was still alive in the early part of that year and you could get in a lot of trouble (or dead) for doing shoddy work under Stalin. I really do believe the workmanship on these cameras went down after Stalin's death. I don't know if it had that much to do with Stalin's death. Probably Khrushchev's premiership was more important. He wanted to improve the standard of living of Soviet citizens by making more inexpensive consumer goods for the masses. More goods meant lower quality control and simplification of production. This led to slow slide towards worse quality, which continued even after Khrushchev's era. That probably was a factor, too. But one of my camera seller friends from over there said he felt The heavy hand of Stalin was a factor in the quality of manufactured goods. The quality problem later applied to all goods. People tried to get merchandise manufactured at the beginning of a month when workers weren't up against quota deadlines. A lot of times they didn't get the needed materials from other factories until the last minute so at the end of the month everyone was rushing to make quota and that was apparently more important than the quality of the product. On Soviet era camera gear if you see a camera in pristine condition it often means it never worked right so it spent 40 years in someone's closet! Wayne |
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Post by Randy on Mar 8, 2009 1:00:38 GMT -5
Is that the camera Irma Blount from S.M.I.R.S.H. used?
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 10, 2009 21:49:08 GMT -5
In my opinion, Wayne is correct when he says that the "mint" older Soviets were probably the ones which did not work from the start. My experience is the same. I have a number of Soviet era cameras. I always buy them well used and I find them to be quite reliable. Incidentally the same comments on quality of the earlier models applies to the Kiev 35mm rangefinders which were copies of the Contax II. The earlier ones are generally better built than the more recent.
Dave
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Post by dee on Oct 13, 2009 11:59:17 GMT -5
Hmmm , I hope that my 1952 Kiev II which has very evidently been a shelf queen is not in the never worked category - it seems dry but excellent .
Zorki 1 / C / 2C ? I actually love the taller C and 2C - I have three each of Moscow P
hotos ' wartime ' faux Leicas which are exquisitely , if fancifully engraved , black top , new matt chrome top-plate . base - immaculate .
S Why 3 of each ? I could afford it as it was recycled Dinky Toy money and three reinforces the stimulus , helping with ASD mind blindness . Not cheap at £60 / £ 70 each incl shipping , but they help enormously to ground me .
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